


angel

by rynsngyl



Category: X1 (Korea Band)
Genre: Angst, Falling In Love, Fluff, M/M, Misunderstandings, best friends suwoongyul, exes suwoongyul
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:27:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27929761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rynsngyl/pseuds/rynsngyl
Summary: hangyul thinks that suwoong would be his last love, but cho seungyoun proves him wrong.
Relationships: Cho Seungyeon | Seungyoun/Lee Hangyul, Lee Hangyul/Lee Suwoong
Comments: 3
Kudos: 22
Collections: Blazing Lights





	angel

lee hangyul is someone that could easily be described as an angel. easy on the eyes, a sweet smile, and the charisma of the charming boy next door.

except he thinks he’s nowhere near the high pedestal that people put him on.

he doesn’t tell people that he’s struggling because it’s easier for people to think that everything’s okay.

the anger and frustrations surface when he’s in the gym, hoping to sweat away all of his emotions away, to keep on lifting and let the burn in his muscles hurt more than the way he hurts on the inside. 

when times get too tough and being around people feels like he’s being back into a corner and he can’t breathe, his fingers its for the feeling of cold metal in his hands, for the dull and numbing sensation of his muscles and for an escape.

he falls in love too easily: it’s shameful to say that he’s had a crush on every single one of his friends at one point, because literally being kind to hangyul is all he needs to fall head over heels and be ‘in love.’

is his fault that his friends are amazing people? perhaps not, but suwoong never stops teasing him about his past crushes on literally everyone they’re friends with. he swears he’ll never live it down.

and suwoong is exactly hangyul’s curse but also his cure.

suwoong understands all of hangyul’s little flaws, sees that hangyul’s no angel, but something even more than that.

when he first meets hangyul, he calls the younger cute, and as much as hangyul hates being called endearing or adorable, for some inexplicable reason, suwoong’s words make his heart burst.

though it seems to hangyul that it’s just another hopeless crush that he’ll get over in a day or two, he doesn’t.

suwoong occupies his mind in a way hangyul’s never felt before. he thinks of the graduate student’s stature (not many guys are shorter than hangyul. he thinks suwoong’s height is cute.) and caring tendencies.

he makes hangyul feel like he’s got everything under control, that hangyul doesn’t  _ have _ to be the responsible one for once.

and everybody can tell that they dance around each other, exchanging shy smiles and fleeting glances when they’re hanging out as a group, falling into a natural routing of comfortable skinship with each other.

so if their friends see them holding hands from under the table or notice that the two of them scoot closer to each other during movie nights, they say nothing. 

it’s no surprise that after a couple of months of orbiting each other and never crossing the lines, something happens.

hangyul’s in suwoong’s quaint little apartment, sitting on a kitchen barstool as he happily swings his legs to the sound of suwoong’s playlist, the older cooking them up some brunch for the weekend.

there’s fluffy pancakes stacked precariously on a plate, along with a tub of ice cream and a bowl of assorted berries. 

suwoong slides into the seat right beside hangyul, one pair of utensils in hand. 

“you didn’t get any for me?” hangyul gasps, over dramatic. 

and suwoong, beautiful as he peers at hangyul through his lashes, lets out a laugh that sounds like music to hangyul’s ears. 

“isn’t it obvious gyul?” he says, gesturing at the plates before them, and that’s when it hits hangyul.

they’ve shared brunch together every saturday for months, and each and every time, suwoong makes a plie of his signature pancakes for two.

today, there’s only one plate of each, and one pair of utensils.

“well what are you waiting for?” hangyul asks, eyes shy as he waits for suwoong to make the next move. 

suwoong innocently stabs a berry with the lone fork, bringing it up to his mouth as to hold the fruit between his lips, the dark juice staining his lips, pretty. 

hangyul gets it. 

within seconds, they bridge the gap between each other, like magnets, and their lips touch.

the kiss is sweet like sugar, and it’s everything hangyul’s wanted and even more. 

nothing really changes between them though, beside the fact that they get intimate. hangyul and suwoong stay glued together by the hip, and nobody bats an eyelash.

hangyul moves into suwoong’s apartment, and they have quaint little brunches everyday, so long as hangyul doesn’t have a class and suwoong doesn’t have piles upon piles of papers to grade. 

they move like they complete each other, and for once in hangyul’s life, he thinks he’s really found the one.

  
  
  
  


“baby,” suwoong coos as hangyul hugs him from behind. “stop being so cute.” 

the younger’s always there for him, magically popping up after suwoong’s classes with that bright smile and lovable energy that’s able to wash away all of suwoong’s stress from teaching a class and dealing with students who frankly have no idea what they’re doing.

more than just a hug, hangyul practically launches himself into suwoong’s back, latching on and grabbing tight, uncaring for how he’s taller than his boyfriend.

suwoong laughs because hangyul is something akin to an oversized puppy that doesn’t know it’s strength or size, and the two of them have to take a moment to steady themselves on their feet so as to not fall.

hangyul’s hugs are so warm, and suwoong doesn’t want to let go. “can’t i miss my boyfriend?”

the older hums in response, already walking back towards their apartment as if hangyul wasn’t draped all over him, peppering kisses onto the crown of his head.

“i have something to tell you,” suwoong says.

while in most people it would be a point of worry, hangyul doesn’t feel panicked, something about suwoong that’s able to calm all of his fears. 

“will you buy us dinner too? i’m too tired to cook today,” hangyul giggles as suwoong’s hands find their way to his, intertwining their fingers.

“of course i will, baby.” suwoong presses a soft kiss on the back of hangyul’s hand, adoring. “i’ll even order your favorite.”

they truly do understand each other, a chemistry that seems fated, perfect, even.

so hangyul doesn’t think much of it, merely follows his boyfriend until they’re back home, and hangyul finally takes the initiative to literally pick up suwoong and carry the smaller man into their bedroom, giggling as suwoong demands to be let go.

“gyul, wait,” he protests, “our food!”

hangyul doesn’t care. they’re only going to wait fifteen minutes until dinner comes, so why not have a little fun?

“forget the food, i want cuddles!”

he body slams suwoong into the mattress, and suwoong retaliates by tickling hangyul in that sensitive spot right next to his armpit, which has the both of them squirming and laughing out loud as they play fight.

“what was the thing you wanted to tell me hyung?” hangyul asks, breathless as he tries to evade the hands that threaten to attack him once more. 

somehow, suwoong forgoes the tickling completely, and somehow gets on top of hangyul, comfortable as he sits in the younger’s lap. 

there’s an odd look in suwoong’s eyes. hangyul think’s something’s a little off, so he raises his hands to caress at suwoong’s cheek, silently asking for clarification.

he leans down and kisses hangyul’s forehead. it’s soft, loving, caring and just so characteristic of suwoong, and the emotions embedded in it are as clear as day.

“isn’t it obvious?”

and just as always, hangyul gets it.

he doesn’t say anything though, only cupping suwoong’s cheek as the older lays atop him and they cuddle, limbs tangled together atop their bed.

the doorbell rings, and suwoong lifts his head from hangyul’s chest, hair fluffy and adorable. 

“come on baby, let’s have dinner!”

there’s a squeeze of their intertwined fingers, and before he knows it, suwoong is dragging them into the kitchen, and hangyul gets swept along.

hangyul’s just been dumped and yet still, he doesn’t feel like he’s lost anything at all. 

  
  
  


ever since hangyul’s dated suwoong, he’s never had a fleeting crush on anybody else. 

it feels like a miracle, but it also puts hangyul off kilter, as if the order of the world isn’t in balance anymore because hangyul  _ isn’t _ falling in love with people left and right.

for some reason, suwoong seems to be his last, and hangyul thinks he’s okay with that.

while they’re no longer dating, things basically stay the same, scarily so, considering they’re too caught up and used to their old habits that they still sleep together in hangyul’s bed at night, and call each other by their pet names.

the only thing that’s changed is that they both know that they’re better off as just friends, because hangyul understands that even if he thought that he and suwoong were soulmates, they’re platonic.

it’s obvious in the way his heart was never broken by suwoong, the both of them just realizing the way their love for each other doesn’t run as deep and visceral as it should for a significant other

but that’s fine.

sometimes, hangyul muses that suwoong is exactly what he needed to break his odd habit of falling in love at first sight.

it made it clear to him that not everybody would be his prince charming, that perhaps his love was just a platonic love that was disguised by his own yearning for a relationship.

where they blurred the lines of their own friendship to delve into something deeper, time showed them that nothing changed.

it’s nice to just live his life and have no worries other than thinking about what to cook for dinner. he has suwoong to listen to his worries and give him all the advice he needs. 

life is good, and hangyul thinks that he’d rather live like this, than be the same hangyul that would get high from his own fleeting feelings.

  
  
  
  


hangyul realizes that life is quite good at throwing his plans off track, when he’s face to face with what seems to be the love of his life during a not so peaceful brainstorming session in the university’s gym dance room. 

he’s a dance teacher, getting paid to teach dance fundamentals for curious students that want to try their hand at something new. hangyul loves it, frankly, because he gets to share his own little love and passion with others. 

his class is usually full of wide eyed freshmen from all sorts of majors, who usually stumble into the dance room by accident, which he gently invites to join his class for a while. usually, they love it, and stay.

but when he isn’t teaching a class, he’s alone, surrounded by mirrors and his own image as he tries to come up with choreography for an upcoming dance assignment.

three am in the dance rooms is hangyul’s peace and quiet, where he’s only alone with his music and his thoughts, no distractions and mind clear.

hangyul’s just gotten a breakthrough with the section of music that he’s been so stuck on, the moves finally flowing from his body like instinct, his eyes glued to the mirror as he marks his every detail and checks his musicality.

then comes the storm in the form of cho seungyoun.

the doors to the room open with a bang, so loud that even with the booming bass of the speakers at full blast, hangyul cringes at the sound of the wood slamming into the walls. 

his head whips around, only to be stunned, shocked, petrified, because at the door is someone who hangyul thinks looks like an  _ angel _ .

the man is tall, dressed in sweats and a tank top that shows off arms covered in ink. he holds a bag in his hands, seemingly full of drinks and snacks from the convenience store. 

his features are soft, delicate, something hangyul could only describe as perfect and his hair falls over sharp eyes that are locked on to hangyul’s reflection in the mirror.

case in point, he’s down right gorgeous, and hangyul curses his treacherous heart for making him feel this way for someone.

hangyul takes the initiative to pause the music, grabbing a towel to wipe the sweat from his forehead as he looks towards the new incomer to the room. 

“i didn’t know people actually used the dance rooms at this time.”

_ oh no, _ hangyul thinks, because the voice is so melodic, smooth like wine yet tone as sweet as sugar. his heart beats  _ just _ a little faster, but he’ll just blame it on the way he’s out of breath from dancing. 

“they don’t.” the dancer replies. “that’s why i’m here. and i guess that’s why you’re here too.”

and for a moment, they stare at each other in silence, trying to choose their next words carefully.

the other man’s eyebrows furrow, worry in his eyes. “am i interrupting you? i’m sorry if i am. I just wanted to play around with dancing for a little bit and i won’t disturb you.”

“you can still dance,” hangyul says, gesturing at all the empty space in the room. “i’m not going to stop someone from dancing just because i’m here.”

“thanks man,” the guy comments, walking over to the far corner as he drops his bag to the floor and starts stretching, hangyul just realizing just how tall the guy is. 

he notices the way hangyul stares at him from the mirror, smiling. “by the way, i’m seungyoun. fourth year marketing and music major.”

there’s a little spark of recognition in hangyul’s mind,  _ suwoong hyung is also a marketing major _ ‒ before he refocuses back on seungyoun.

hangyul only just realizes that he’s staring, and has the decency to quickly avert his eyes before he looks away, trying to will away the light pink flush threatening to paint his cheeks. 

“i’m hangyul, second year. i’m from the performing arts department, for dance.”

seungyoun perks up at his words, eyes going wide in interest. “that’s so cool!” he sits on the ground, now stretching to reach his toes. “i’m a little sorry that you’re going to have to witness my untalented ass trying to dance for the first time though.”

he’s sure that seungyoun can’t possibly be bad at dancing. upon first look, hangyul can tell that the guy’s pretty flexible and is probably an athlete. that would give him enough body awareness to at least not be uncoordinated. 

if anything, seungyoun just needs to know the basics and hangyul’s sure seungyoun will pick up dancing like a fish to water.

“i’m sure you’re not bad,” hangyul comments, sipping casually from his water bottle. “i actually teach a dance basics class here, so i think i’d be the last person to judge first time dancers.” and then, hangyul thinks maybe it's time for him to be a little brave.

“i could teach you too, actually,” he adds on, kind. but when seungyoun just stares back at him, he immediately retracts his words. “only if you’re okay with that‒”

seungyoun, the angel that he is, lights up with so much joy that hangyul swears all of his fatigue washes away in one second. “i’d love that!”

the other stands up, or really, jumps up to give hangyul what seems to be a bro hug in gratitude. it catches hangyul completely off guard, but he’s more than happy enough to have an armful of seungyoun, trying not to dwell too much on the way their height difference makes hangyul fit quite perfectly in seungyoun’s arms.

“thank you so much! i’ve always wanted to learn how to dance, so you’re doing me such a big favor!”

_ focus, hangyul _ . 

he feels like he’s in a dream right now, because it’s been so long since he’s felt like he’s been hit with a train of emotions, convinced that he was already over his love at first sight phase. 

except really, something about seungyoun makes him feel different, the lovestruck wave more like a terrifyingly large tsunami that hangyul just  _ knows _ he won’t be able to escape. 

so when seungyoun asks for his number and sets hangyul’s contact as ‘ _ hangyullie _ ,’ he tries not to let his weak heart betray him. 

he’s scared, but he feels like something about this entire situation is different.

but it’s okay.

hangyul will just come home to gently slip into suwoong’s arms and come morning, he’ll tell his hyung all about cho seungyoun, who’s just stolen his heart. 

suwoong will know what to do.

  
  
  
  


“hyung, i swear,” hangyul sighs, melting into suwoong’s arms as they cuddle on the couch, a box of forgotten and cold chinese food on the coffee table as suwoong gently pets hangyul’s soft hair. “he’s an  _ angel.” _

hangyul feels the way fingers play with the strands of his freshly showered hair, fluffy and soft. “tell me about him, baby.” it puts hangyul at ease, feeling suwoong’s hands in his hair, slow and steady as the motions ground hangyul, comforting and safe.

so hangyul tells suwoong a story of him falling in love at first sight with cho seungyoun, about the way they met at three am in an empty dance room and hangyul’s mind got swept away in just how perfect seungyoun is.

“he’s actually in your major hyung,” hangyul adds, “marketing, that is.”

suwoong hums in agreement. “i know, he’s in one of the classes that i help teach.” and then there’s the feeling of suwoong nuzzling his neck, laughing. “he really is just your type, isn’t he?”

hangyul pouts, “hyung, stop it!” but he does nothing to move away from the way suwoong holds him close and giggles into his neck. 

“tall, handsome, and popular, huh.” a finger comes up to poke at hangyul’s cheek, though it’s easily swatted away by the younger. “no wonder we broke up,” he jokes. “i’m the only person you’ve ever liked that’s shorter than you.”

“you broke up with  _ me _ , hyung.” hangyul rebutts, though his words hold no malice at all. 

“i know, i know,” suwoong laughs, “but i’m just saying you should go for him. i have a feeling you two would make a good couple.”

hangyul pulls close to suwoong, sighing. “but how do i do that? you know i never act on my feelings and just wait for the other person to ask me out.”

“luckily for you, i’m an expert on everything hangyul related.” it’s quite true, considering suwoong knows literally  _ everything _ about him, so hangyul’s quite inclined to believe him.

he shifts, letting suwoong cup his face in his hands, smiling as hangyul pouts up at him. “baby, you trust me, right?”

“of course hyung.” hangyul replies without hesitation, because he really does trust suwoong with his life. 

“i’ll help make cho seungyoun fall in love with you, gyul.” there’s a soft peck to hangyul’s forehead, a habit that suwoong has when he’s comforting hangyul. “we’ll have him head over heels for you in no time.”

and hangyul takes the moment to wrap his arms around suwoong, squishing them together in a bone breaking hug. 

“my baby’s all grown up now,” suwoong laughs, “he’s going to find himself a cool boyfriend and leave little old me all alone.”

“i would never!” the hug gets even tighter as hangyul seems to want to squeeze the life out of his friend. “even if i get a boyfriend, i’ll always be here for you, hyung.”

“i love you, hyung, don’t you know that?” hangyul reassures, a hand resting on suwoong’s head as the older buries himself in hangyul’s neck, playfully lining kisses on the younger’s exposed collarbone.

“i know.” 

hangyul’s thankful, to the bottom of his core, because as always, he can trust suwoong to help with anything and everything. and it seems as if maybe together, hangyul can win over seungyoun.

“and i love you too, gyul.”

  
  
  
  


planning is far different than actually doing, hangyul realizes. 

_ “you have to get to know him first, gyul. so keep on teaching him dance and texting him a lot. your biggest asset is your personality! as long as you just talk with him and be genuine, i’m sure he’ll fall in love with you.” _

suwoong’s advice rings in his head as hangyul starts the music, doing a quick dynamic warm up as he waits for seungyoun to meet him in the dance room.

they’ve been texting a lot, mostly surface level conversations about their days, but they’ve also created a routine. 

seungyoun meets him at one am in the dance rooms twice a week.

at first, it worries hangyul, considering he knows seungyoun has mainly morning classes from their passing text conversations. but the older insists that as a music major, all his creative juices flow at night, a little like hangyul, so seungyoun claims he’s never really asleep at the odd hours of the night anyways.

and it's these text messages that have hangyul falling harder and harder for seungyoun, if it’s even possible. 

he learns the little things about seungyoun: that he’s a social butterfly, a man of many creative passions and talents, that he finds refuge in music, about all of his many, many friends and their odd excursions together.

it paints a picture, no, makes the image of seungyoun in hangyul’s mind come  _ alive _ .

so hangyul’s determined to get seungyoun to learn the basics of dance, perhaps because he just likes sharing his passions with others, perhaps because he longs to see two of his favorite things together.

he’s noticed that seungyoun’s musicality is off the charts, easily picking up on the musical cues and embodying the feeling of the music with ease. 

it’s stunning, really, and hangyul can’t help but let his eyes linger on seungyoun’s form as they dance. he’s seungyoun’s dance teacher anyways, so what’s the problem if he stares? he'll just say he’s monitoring seungyoun’s form.

suwoong’s advice makes perfect sense, but it’s hard for hangyul, because spending time with seungyoun like this just makes hangyul fall even harder, makes the feelings in his chest so intense that he just wants to combust.

but he trusts his hyung, so he stays strong, pretending as if he isn’t hopelessly in love as he watches seungyoun perfectly executes the choreography hangyul’s made to one of seungyoun’s songs.

seungyoun’s amazing, really, considering it’s only been an hour and the man’s already keeping up with hangyul.

the song ends, and seungyoun’s ambivalent, eyes beautiful and joyful crescent as he jumps up and down, proud of his progress. 

“did you see that?” he says, shaking hangyul’s shoulders in excitement. 

hangyul regains himself from his daze. “i was watching you this entire time.”

“thank you, hangyul,” seungyoun says with obvious joy. 

and then, hangyul’s a little shocked because seungyoun’s suddenly a little more demure, looking more serious than his usual demeanor. 

“hangyul,” he says, with what seems to be nervous fingers. “do you want to get some food with me later? kind of like a congratulatory late night meal because i’m just so thankful for teaching me how to dance.”

it’s only further validation that suwoong’s right, and hangyul’s heart soars. because a couple weeks of taking it slow has led to finally, a change in their routine. and seungyoun asked  _ him _ .

he makes a note in his mind to scream at suwoong tomorrow, and thank him with his life.

  
  
  
  


everything goes swimmingly well: seungyoun takes him to go eat barbecue at three am, and hangyul wants to believe that seungyoun is just as interested in him as he is.

their hands brush against each other as they reach for utensils and their glasses. he  _ swears _ that there’s a spark between them, one that they can both feel and hide under little giggles and friendly smiles.

the strawberry red flush on his face is just from the alcohol, not because his heart is literally bursting from just how handsome and charming seungyoun is. 

he learns that seungyoun could quite possibly be the personification of passion; a man with so much curiosity and ambition that he instantly strikes at any chance he gets to try something new. 

seungyoun is a jack of all trades whose skills include almost everything hangyul loves in a man: a love of music, an eye for the arts, and most of all, a charming tongue that speaks so eloquently, like a storyteller.

and somewhere along the lines of stories told in their slightly drunken state, hangyul falls in love with the scenes that seungyoun vividly paints about his friends and experiences, to the point where hangyul could close his eyes and imagine himself as a part of seungyoun’s life too.

hangyul sinks deep. deeper than he can even imagine as he falls in love with seungyoun.

seungyoun tells him that he wants to show hangyul more and more of himself; inviting hangyul to club performances and even extends an invitation for hangyul to come and meet him and his friends for some lunch. 

_ “they’ll love you, i swear, _ ” the older says, giggling as he reaches to grab for hangyul’s hands, pulling him up to stand now that they’ve paid. 

hangyul easily agrees, hoping that when he wakes up, the offer will still be real and not just some drunken fantasy he’s made up in his own mind. but even if it’s a dream, it’d be a damn good one too.

he thinks seungyoun looks quite stunning in the light of the moon, at almost four am as they link their pinkies together and slowly walk back to their apartments, following meandering streets and jumping over cracks in the pavement like children.

it’s perfect, really. especially as seungyoun shyly clasps their hands together as they continue to walk, and gives hangyul a little chaste kiss on the lips when he drops seungyoun off at his apartment. 

they live only a two minute walk away from each other, hangyul notes. 

but seungyoun’s lips on his is what is branded in hangyul’s mind as he absent mindedly walks up the steps to his own apartment.

as he opens the door, giddy, a little drunk, and high on life, hangyul notices that suwoong’s asleep on the couch, surrounded by stacks of papers to grade. 

it’s quite easy to scoop the older up in his arms, slightly smiling at how peaceful suwoong looks now that he’s asleep.

after dutifully tucking suwoong into their bed, hangyul takes off his barbecue smoked clothing and slips in beside suwong.

hangyul can’t wait to tell him everything that’s happened today.

  
  
  
  


the morning comes in the form of pillow talk; a whispered conversation created from groggy eyes and low, hushed voices as they lay together. 

_ “and he kissed you?” _

_ “yeah, he did. it was… magical, honestly.” _

_ “when’s the lunch date?” _

_ “today, but it’s not a lunch date, just lunch with his friends.” _

_ “you know that means he wants his friend’s approval, like he probably talks about you so much that his friends want to meet you.” _

_ “i’m a little worried though, hyung. what if they don’t like me?” _

_ “don’t be silly, baby. everybody loves you. trust me.” _

  
  
  
  


lunch with seungyoun’s friends is nothing short of fantastic. 

well, aside from the odd looks that come from his friends when seungyoun merrily introduces him to the table of mostly upperclassmen that fill the seats.

hangyul’s not intimidated by them, not in the slightest, considering most of his friends (courtesy of suwoong) are all older than him anyways. and he’s great at socializing, great at being able to seamlessly join the flow of conversations with new people, only to come out with new friends.

but intimidation is far different than apprehension. 

he’s not so afraid of meeting people, but the added pressure of knowing that he has to make a good impression is what weighs him down the most. 

usually he doesn’t have to do anything to make a good impression: suwoong says he’s naturally inviting and charismatic anyways. and yet even upon just sitting down at the table, hangyul can tell that some of seungyoun’s friends might not have the best opinion of him.

he’s really only said his name and his major, giving a respectfully low bow the seniors as seungyoun happily gestures to each one of his friends after urging hangyul to sit down.

hangyul cracks for a moment, eyebrows furrowing as he tries to wrap his head around what could possibly be the thing that’s given him the neutral (and not positive) response.

the tallest one among them, han seungwoo, seems to catch on to hangyul’s worries, easing up his own expression before subtly getting the others to do the same.

_ odd.  _

maybe it’s just because he’s young, hangyul assumes. all of seungyoun’s friends are either fourth years or graduate students, much like his own friend circle, so a sudden introduction of an underclassmen might be a little off putting.

whatever. hangyul remembers what suwoong said, that all he has to do is be himself for everything to be okay.

so he takes a deep breath and thinks less about what seungyoun’s friends think about him, and more about the way seungyoun’s eagerly pressed into his side, their fingers intertwining from beneath the table.

and aside from that one little stumble at the beginning, hangyul can tell that by the end of the lunch, there’s no way that things can go even better. 

  
  
  
  


little does hangyul know, seungyoun’s friends are just fiercely protective of their friend, and hangyul’s ignorant of the whispers and rumors that fill their campus. 

for everybody else, hangyul is suwoong’s dedicated boyfriend. not only are the two of them practically inseparable, they even live together.

it’s no wonder that when hangyul leaves the table to head off to pick suwoong up from his lecture and study together, seungwoo voices his concerns to seungyoun, frank. 

“you know he’s two-timing you, right seungyoun?”

the younger man’s eyes widen like saucers, eyebrows rising so high they could almost disappear. “two-timing? what do you mean? hangyul’s so sweet!”

but then everybody else at the table has that same grim look that seungwoo does, and it chips away at the unwavering faith that seungyoun has in hangyul. his voice is low as a whisper, hesitant. “are you saying he has somebody else?”

sungjoo passes over his phone that has an instagram profile, one that belongs to a familiar face. “do you know lee suwoong?”

there’s a flash of recognition to the short and caring teaching assistant from his marketing class, and seungyoun feels his heart stop as he scrolls through the grad student’s instagram, seeing picture upon picture of hangyul and him being absolutely in love.

the captions do nothing to calm him down either, because maybe they could just be best friends (seungyoun also takes pictures with his friends all the time anyways), but it’s shocking to see how just three words could break a man’s heart. 

it’s an image of hangyul, dressed in a dance outfit: a white silk button up with three buttons open, exposing his chest, and a silk ribbon around his neck. he’s holding a bouquet of roses and a trophy, presumably from winning the dance competition. 

seungyoun thinks hangyul looks absolutely breathtaking.

but then the caption makes seungyoun’s heart squeeze with that inexplicable emotion.

_ love you baby!!! _

so maybe hangyul isn’t the angel seungyoun thinks he is. maybe the second year just has a knack for collecting hearts due to his kind nature, stringing people along before breaking their hearts. 

“they’re dating?” he asks, now with a monotone voice as his fingers seem to grip sungjoo’s phone with a striking intensity, reflecting his turbulent emotions. 

“my friend, jeup, says that they even live together, and like almost everybody knows they’re dating.”

_ so that’s how things are. _

all the words that seungyoun wants to say turn sour on his lips. he can’t bear to think about hangyul when he knows about all of this. it’s just too much for him.

he can’t tolerate having his heart broken like this, and yet thinking about hangyul still reminds him of just how much he likes the second year. 

perhaps it’s best if he just keeps clear hangyul, so that he can keep his peace of mind and keep the tear in his heart from growing any bigger. 

  
  
  
  


something changes between them: seungyoun strays away from hangyul, keeps himself at a distance and doesn’t sit as close as he used to.

it’s almost as if seungyoun is avoiding him.

and this is by all means  _ impossible, _ considering hangyul just knows he's done everything right and never messed up anywhere in his tentative courting of seungyoun.

where did it all go wrong?

hangyul swears only a week ago they were on their first little date, remembering the way their fingers touched and how seungyoun sent him off with a kiss on the corner of his lips. 

now they’re almost like strangers, and hangyul’s distraught. 

“hyung, he hates me.”

hangyul and suwoong sit together on campus, by the little cafe that sells overpriced drinks to stressed students that need that one extra kick of caffeine. 

“i’m sure he still likes you.” suwoong doesn’t even look up from his laptop, typing furiously as ever because he’s got ten minutes to get his lesson plan together before his discussion section. “men are like that, you know. maybe he wants to see how you’ll react when he pulls away.”

and then he pauses, finally taking in the gravity of hangyul’s words. “you’re cute, hangyul, and you’re hot. and you’re kind, and you’re  _ perfect.  _ all you need to do is show him that you  _ care. _ but be cute while you’re at it. nobody can say no to a cute hangyul.”

hangyul nods sagely, as if suwoong has just imparted words that hold the truth about life to him. he’s never been good at taking compliments well either, so his silence is just so that he can try to ignore the way his cheeks flush red and his ears turn hot. 

suwoong just goes back to furiously typing, except this time, he makes a little note on his document to ask cho seungyoun himself to find out for himself and gauge the situation. suwoong’s the nice and cool ta anyways, not like seungyoun would be scared of him.

  
  
  
  


and yet cho seungyoun trembles a little bit on the inside as lee suwoong strides right up to him, confident and quite demanding, before smiling (intimidatingly, seungyoun would add) and asking him to stay after. 

“seungyoun,” the graduate student says, with that soft and smooth voice that seungyoun is just a little jealous of. “stay for a bit? i wanted to talk to you about your research paper.”

there’s the tilt of a head and that doe-eyed look that seungyoun is all too familiar with. after all, being friends with kim wooseok means that seungyoun knows very well that it’s the small and pretty ones that are always the most dangerous. 

he’s already had a shit day, especially after attempting to get a cup of coffee to wake himself up a little before his discussion section. but lo and behold, seungyoun catches a glimpse of hangyul and suwoong, the younger with beautiful, pink cheeks as if suwoong had just said something to flatter and make the dancer shy. 

so he loses his appetite, and chooses not to get his coveted cup of coffee, because seungyoun would rather run out of steam during a discussion section then have to walk past the man who’s played him to get into the cafe in the first place. 

but now, with tired eyes that are now alert as the person of his internalized jealousy approaches him, seungyoun thinks he  _ really _ should have gotten that coffee.

all he can really do is pray to whatever god that suwoong doesn’t know anything and actually just has some pointers about his paper. 

“is everything alright, sunbaenim?” seungyoun replies, eyes a little wary as suwoong pulls up a chair and sits directly across from him, presumably holding the first draft of his economic analysis paper. 

there’s a flutter of pretty lashes, delicate, poised, as suwoong puts the paper down on the table and slides it over to seungyoun. the fourth year won’t admit that he feels that anxiety crawling up his throat as the graduate student seems to scan his reactions and closely watch him.

“i just thought that you have excellent points and solid research.” the ta flips to a couple of pages in and points to an area where the text is circled in red. “but if you want to take this paper to the next level, you should make it more succinct.”

and seungyoun nods along, eyes nervously scanning over suwoong’s immaculate handwriting that fills the margins of his paper. 

“you have great ideas, wonderful ones, actually, but you need to focus more on just a couple of these ideas rather than talk about all of them. it would do you good to pick out your favorite points and go really deep into them, because professors really do love that passion if you’re looking for recommendations or lab experience.”

_ okay, good. _ seungyoun thinks, because everything seems perfectly innocent as he nods along with suwoong’s points and criticisms as they talk. 

seungyoun finds that the older is calm, collected, and extremely patient. it isn’t hard to see how he and hangyul would make such a flawless couple. 

does it bother him?  _ yes.  _ can he do anything about it?  _ admittedly, no.  _ so he chooses to stay silent and hold his tongue.

and then everything goes to hell when seungyoun tries to take his revised draft and slide it into his bag.

suwoong doesn’t let go of the paper, and seungyoun just  _ freezes. _

the older male smiles, though his grip doesn’t let up. “you know hangyul, right?”

“uh, yeah. i know him. nice kid,” he stupidly says, just letting the words flow out of his mouth in his nervousness. 

suwoong leans in, interested as he hears seungyoun’s reply. “ _ oh? _ gyul has told me  _ so _ much about you, seungyoun.”

maybe there’s a nervous sweat starting to break out on seungyoun’s hands, and he feels like he visibly blanches.  _ is this a threat? a warning? _

it’s no surprise that suwoong would have found out about seungyoun being interested in hangyul and  _ of course _ suwoong would want to settle the score with him to make clear that hangyul is  _ his _ .

“has he?” seungyoun chuckles, trying not to show any sign of weakness. “i’m sure it wasn’t for anything serious, sunbaenim.”

“call me hyung,” the older says, smiling and inciting terror within seungyoun’s veins. “any friend of hangyul is also my friend too.”

_ oh it’s definitely suwoong asserting dominance, _ the younger thinks. “right,  _ hyung.” _

“you like him, don’t you?” 

seungyoun gulps. he doesn’t think suwoong would be this direct, and seungyoun doesn’t know just how much about the situation he actually knows. 

“well, of c-course i like him, he’s a great person‒” he almost stumbles over his words, “i mean a great  _ friend! _ ” 

for a split second, suwoong’s unnervingly kind smile flattens, seemingly contemplating his response. seungyoun thinks he’s about to die in that one second. 

and then suwoong’s smile is back, and the graduate student lets go of the paper. “that’s great to hear,  _ seungyounnie _ .” 

seungyoun’s just frozen, eyes wide as he watches suwoong pack up his back and leave through the door with a wave of his hand and a knowing look in his eye. “ _ it was nice talking to you! let’s talk even more in the future okay?” _

the man practically  _ skips _ out of the discussion room, and seungyoun feels like he’s just felt his life flash before his eyes.

seungyoun concludes that lee suwoong is indeed far scarier than what meets the eye. 

  
  
  
  


suwoong, however, is not at  _ all _ the scary and intimidatingly possessive boyfriend that seungyoun thinks he is.

he leaves his discussion on top of the world, giddy and excited, because  _ the nervousness? the little flush on seungyoun’s face as he talks about hangyul? _

suwoong just  _ knows _ that seungyoun is in love with hangyul, and things couldn’t be looking any better for his plans. 

he smiles to himself as he walks the familiar route home. young love is just so  _ cute _ .

he hopes seungyoun is ready for all he has in store for him in the future.

as he opens the door to see hangyul making dinner for two, he can’t help but smile.

“oh hangyul, he’s  _ definitely _ in love with you.”

  
  
  
  


seungyoun doesn’t know how to feel when hangyul approaches him out of the blue, with slightly worried eyes and an oversized sweater that makes the dancer look oh so  _ cute. _

it’s not hangyul’s usual outfit of athletic wear or even dance clothes. he seems awfully soft with his hair down and his little sweater paws that clutch on to textbooks with just the tips of his fingers peeking out.

and seungyoun  _ swears _ he tries not to hyperfocus on how fluffy hangyul’s hair looks when it’s not styled at all. seungyoun wants to hug hangyul, as in grab the underclassmen and never let go.

“hi hyung!” hangyul says, obviously a little more reserved that he normally is. “i was wondering if you wanted to get dinner with me later today?”

seungyoun’s tongue goes a little dry, the words just withering away as he pretends to not marvel at this glorious view. 

he’s  _ so _ tempted to give in, to accept the adorable eyes that look up at him expectantly.

but then he’s kicked back into reality as he gets flashes of those horrible memories of hangyul and suwoong together, making his heart sink and his smile turn down into a little grimace. 

_ that could be him, by hangyul’s side, acting all cute and couple like, _ but even thinking about the ‘could be’ gives him an uncomfortable twist in his gut, fingers digging crescents into his palm. 

“actually, i’ll pass,” he lies, pretending as if hangyul doesn’t know that today’s his free day. his heart painfully twists in his chest when he sees hangyul’s eyes drop, seemingly embarrassed. 

seungyoun can’t stand to look at hangyul’s downtrodden face for any longer than he has to, so he quickly exits the library and weaves into the crowd of students, disappearing from hangyul’s sight like a ghost disappearing in thin air. 

  
  
  
  


so maybe hangyul is drunk out of his mind, pressed up against suwoong in a booth at the most popular club in the university town, probably ugly as hell as he clutches his drink hopelessly and sniffles as he tells their friends about his woes. 

“ _ and then he said ‘actually, i’ll pass,’ like what the fuck!”  _ hangyul groans, taking a long sip of water as yohan quickly snatches his drink from his fingers and passes him a glass of water instead. 

suwoong presses hangyul’s face to his chest and pats his head consolingly. “you’re hot as fuck baby, you don’t need him.” and the rest of the table yells out in agreement and solidarity, which makes hangyul feel a little better about himself at least.

of course, it’s when the entire table yells out “fuck seungyoun!” that the man in question just so happens to walk by with the rest of his own friends, who look absolutely affronted and appalled at their words. 

“dear god, hyung, hide me,” hangyul meekly says, face flushed red with both his embarrassment at seungyoun encountering him drinking his sorrows away as well as his knack for being a lightweight drinker. “i can’t let him see me like this.”

the group in front of their table freezes, and it’s only then that suwoong, who pulls hangyul into his arms, can see familiar faces from his department and narrow his eyes at seungyoun, who somehow looks just as somber as hangyul.

yohan’s already standing from his seat, getting his bearings so that he cuss out seungyoun for breaking his friend’s heart, and yuvin and kookheon start rolling up their sleeves, seemingly preparing for a fight. they’re embarrassing as fuck, but hangyul can’t doubt that he loves them to death. 

and almost automatically, seungyoun’s friends jump into action all the same. 

han seungwoo, whom hangyul’s only really knows through passionate stories from seungyoun, is nothing like the calm and collected voice of reason that seungyoun says he is. the man is built tall, easily moving forward to meet yohan eye to eye, chests bumping together a little aggressively. 

there’s a couple of hands that reach out to grab at seungwoo and yohan in hopes of keeping them from getting into a fight but it’s clear that the two are indeed the athletes they’re known to be, easily shaking their friends off. 

“seungyoun’s done nothing wrong,” han says, not backing down from yohan’s piercing gaze. “if anything tell your friend hangyul that he’s sick and twisted for playing with seungyoun’s feelings like that.”

his hands are just as sharp and accusing as his words as he points an indignant finger towards the youngest at the table. the words have kookheon and yuvin seething, and yohan’s hand whips out to grab the graduate student by the collar of his loose dress shirt, threatening. 

“so seungyoun’s innocent for leading hangyul on and then just ghosting him?” he hisses, grip as strong as iron even as the older tries to shove him off. “hangyul’s been nothing but a sweetheart to him and seungyoun clearly doesn’t give a shit about his feelings.” 

seungyoun’s eyes widen, and he quickly pushes past a friend to try and break up the scuffle, but to no avail as he’s pulled back and into the ‘safe’ zone a couple of feet away from the athletes.

seungwoo’s eyes narrow accusingly as he glares at suwoong, who’s hugging hangyul as if his life depends on it. “so you’re okay with your boyfriend playing around with other people like this? do you just let your boyfriend do whatever he wants?”

“ _ enough.” _

all eyes whip to hangyul. his fingers are almost white with how tightly they clut at the fabric of his jeans. and even if all of his friends wish to protect him, hangyul’s surprisingly the first to react, bursting out of suwoong’s arms to angrily push seungwoo back to where his friends stand, acutely aware of the little crowd that’s started to interestedly look at the commotion they’re making. 

“i don’t have a fucking boyfriend and don’t disrespect suwoong hyung like that! i just wanted to get to know seungyoun more!”

he turns on his heel, a little too quickly as his head suddenly spins and he almost falls over, taking large and panicked steps out of the club in an attempt to escape the situation. it’s too much; seungyoun’s presence and his friends suffocating words making the room feel like it was closing in on him. 

hangyul can’t even hear the way his friends call out to him, the yells mixing into the sound of booming music and simply turning into white noise. 

out is the only way he’d be able to clear his head and regret ever falling in love with cho seungyoun.

  
  
  
  


hangyul leaves chaos in his wake. everybody is stunned: unable to process just what’s happened. for one, they’re able to avoid an all out brawl at the hands of han and kim, the two now confused as they realize how the entire thing could just be one large misunderstanding.

suwoong swears under his breath as he looks in the direction that hangyul’s taken off in, the crowded club’s sea of people easily making everybody lose sight of hangyul in seconds. 

and even with all of the chaos and high tension, seungyoun’s mind can only focus on one thing:

_ hangyul doesn’t have a boyfriend. _

then there’s a strong grip on his shoulders, shaking him back into reality. 

it’s lee suwoong, who uncharacteristically frowns at him, irritation and worry clear in the hard lines of his grimace that make him look nothing like the kind teaching assistant that people know him as.

“seungyoun.” he says, “i’ll give you a thirty second head start to make the right choice before i take things into my own hands and treat hangyul the way he deserves to be treated, okay?”

the shorter man’s eyes are stern, warning, and threatening all the same, so seungyoun weakly nods as he replies with an overwhelmed, “okay,” before turning and pushing through the throes of inebriated people and out the door. 

for a moment, it almost seems like everything will be okay, suwoong hopes. because hopefully cho seungyoun can take a hint and actually do what’s right for his best friend.

  
  
  
  


at the very least, hangyul’s been to the dance rooms in the gym so often that the slight lean of his steps and haze in his mind can’t stop him from simply going autopilot and taking those familiar steps up the stairs that lead to the main campus.

the air is cold as ice; kissing his flushed cheeks with a chilly gust. but he’d rather be cold than too hot, so he takes the way his skin practically freezes in stride, attempting to not trip all over his feet as he scales the steps that lead to the gym.

it’s definitely uncomfortable, walking alone, but there’s something so peaceful and liberating about being able to look at the usually crowded campus now empty and dark. the stairs don’t feel as tiring as they do when hangyul treks to his next lecture; rather, they feel like all the other steps he takes. 

one step feels like nothing, but it also feels like an eternity, because how many more steps does he need to take before he’s back in his safe place, the dance room. 

the gym, as always, is open twenty-four seven, and hangyul doesn’t even look at the bored employee that has to man the entryway. it’s a refuge from the cold, and he finally feels like he can stop shivering.

then again, it’s his own fault for running away in just a silk top anyways. 

he’s almost desperate as he runs up the stairs and to the obscure little dance room that’s just down the ominous hall with the broken lights. it’s hard to ignore the way his vision threatens to spin, legs a little weak from the long walk and hangyul just wants to close the door, blast some of his favorite music, and just be  _ alone _ .

it feels like he can finally breathe again once he connects his phone to the speaker and his favorite songs come blasting from the sound system, set loud enough so that he could drown out his thoughts. 

he’s so exhausted he doesn’t even sit down on the floor, but just lays flat on the polished wood, closing his eyes. hangyul takes a deep breath; the kind that he’s learned from the dumb mindfulness exercises he’s seen in a youtube ad before and almost curses because  _ damn _ the breathing works so well to get him to calm down.

the inhale is smooth, warm like a sip of hot chocolate after a long and hard day. he exhales from his mouth, and slowly feels the way his chest falls as he mentally counts an eight-count to time his breath.

and he can’t even get to thirty seconds before he hears the doors to the room slam against the walls, as if somebody has just barged in.

hangyul doesn’t want to open his eyes; he’s content on the floor just counting his breaths and ignoring all of his problems. even as he can feel the gentle vibration of steps approaching him, threatening to disrupt, disturb, and destroy his few seconds of peace.

the steps stop, and then there’s the abrupt and sharp sounds of knees hitting the wood floor, just beside him. there’s fingers threading through his hair, cold skin against the heat of his flushed skin and hot forehead. 

“hangyul,” the person whispers, and with just the light and melodic tone he knows that it’s seungyoun. there’s something different that laces his voice, heavy, emotional. “can you open your eyes for me?”

“i think i’ll pass, actually.” 

he doesn’t open his eyes, so he doesn’t see the way seungyoun’s countenance snaps into a frown, before he’s chuckling and collapses onto the floor beside hangyul.

then there’s a silent pause, until he can feel seungyoun’s small hands reaching out for his, intertwining their fingers. 

“is this okay then?” seungyoun asks, and for once, hangyul feels at ease with his thoughts about the upperclassman. 

their pinkies intertwine together, shy, and only then, hangyul gets the courage to reply.

“this is perfect.”

  
  
  


_ extra _

  
  
  


“are you really going to run after them, hyung?” yuvin says as the rest of their friends, hangyul and seungyoun’s included, look towards him for at least some peace of mind and confirmation that things work out.

and he can only sigh as his legs give out and he sits, drearily, back onto the plush seating of their booth. “i’m not going to follow those idiots, i need a drink.” 

surprisingly, suwoong nods a head to seungyoun’s friends, who stand a little awkwardly now that their friend has run off. “you guys can stay too, if you want.” he gestures towards their booth, which is quite roomy.

it catches the others off guard, though it’s han seungwoo that snaps out of his own stupor to gesture his friends to join him in the booth as he slides in and sits right next to yohan, scooting closer until their knees touch as to make room for the others.

the action doesn’t go unnoticed by kookheon, however, who only leans over to leer at the slight pink that dusts yohan’s cheeks. “not acting so tough now that you don’t have to defend your best friend’s honor by fighting your crush now huh?”

seungwoo’s head whips to look at yohan, who suddenly starts chugging his beer to cover up his sheer embarrassment. 

it’s kim wooseok that smiles at this interaction and reaches across the table to give them all a shake of the hand and an introduction.

“i think we’ll get along  _ very _ well,” he drawls, gingerly shaking suwoong’s hand as they watch the rest of the table practically bully yohan and seungwoo. 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> hello! i hope everybody enjoys this! please comment if you liked it :)


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